B.C. youth pastor dead at 36
A saga that started more than a year ago has come to a heart-rending end. On August 31, Scott Falk, gifted youth pastor and chaplain to his local RCMP detachment on Vancouver Island, died in hospital. The father of three young boys, he was 36.
His ministry at Neighbourhood (MB) Church, Nanaimo, B.C. touched the lives of hundreds of young people for more than a decade. But that ministry ended in December 2007 when the church, on learning of Falk’s private conduct, released him. Falk became estranged from his wife and later moved to Saskatchewan, where he lived with his parents until the time of his death. He was diagnosed with severe depression and his condition ultimately proved to be fatal.
Friends and acquaintances poured out their sympathies on Facebook during the days when his life hung in question in hospital, strengthening the family.
There were two memorial services. About 300 people attended at South Abbotsford Church on the Saturday following the death. The next day, 350 people
attended a service at Neighbourhood Church where Scott had ministered. At that service, church members were still grappling with both the end of Falk’s ministry and with his death.
In Abbotsford, friend and fellow youth pastor Brad Hagkull told the audience that Scott cared deeply for others and commonly dropped everything to pray for people when they would tell him of problems they were having. He was a gifted speaker, in high demand, said Hagkull.
The family spotted early signs of depression, said Hagkull, but Scott would dismiss it, saying he was fine. “I don’t know when his illness started or why Scott made the decisions he made,” said Hagkull, “but I do know that, every day of his life, God loved him.”
Scott’s brother Gordon, who delivered the eulogy in Abbotsford, said Scott was “robbed of his will to live. We regret it,” he concluded, “but we accept it.”
At the family’s request, the B.C. conference has instituted the Pastoral Emotional Awareness fund in Scott’s memory to provide resources and training on mental health issues for pastors and church leaders. —BM
His ministry at Neighbourhood (MB) Church, Nanaimo, B.C. touched the lives of hundreds of young people for more than a decade. But that ministry ended in December 2007 when the church, on learning of Falk’s private conduct, released him. Falk became estranged from his wife and later moved to Saskatchewan, where he lived with his parents until the time of his death. He was diagnosed with severe depression and his condition ultimately proved to be fatal.
Friends and acquaintances poured out their sympathies on Facebook during the days when his life hung in question in hospital, strengthening the family.
There were two memorial services. About 300 people attended at South Abbotsford Church on the Saturday following the death. The next day, 350 people
attended a service at Neighbourhood Church where Scott had ministered. At that service, church members were still grappling with both the end of Falk’s ministry and with his death.
In Abbotsford, friend and fellow youth pastor Brad Hagkull told the audience that Scott cared deeply for others and commonly dropped everything to pray for people when they would tell him of problems they were having. He was a gifted speaker, in high demand, said Hagkull.
The family spotted early signs of depression, said Hagkull, but Scott would dismiss it, saying he was fine. “I don’t know when his illness started or why Scott made the decisions he made,” said Hagkull, “but I do know that, every day of his life, God loved him.”
Scott’s brother Gordon, who delivered the eulogy in Abbotsford, said Scott was “robbed of his will to live. We regret it,” he concluded, “but we accept it.”
At the family’s request, the B.C. conference has instituted the Pastoral Emotional Awareness fund in Scott’s memory to provide resources and training on mental health issues for pastors and church leaders. —BM
